The Department of Anesthesiology

Saundra Curry, M.D.

Course Director
Office: PH 5-517
Phone: Ext. 5-8361
Email: sc42@columbia.edu

The Anesthesiology clerkship is a one-week rotation. The student obtains clinical experience in the operating room under supervision, reinforced with didactic teaching sessions. The primary goals of the clerkship are to:

1. Increase capability of initiating appropriate therapy in acute problems which lead to respiratory and circulatory arrest.
2. Become familiar with the role of the anesthesiologist in the operating room, intensive care unit, as respiratory therapy consultant, and in pain management.
3. Help the student learn fundamental anesthetic technique, procedures and preanesthetic patient evaluation and preparation.
4. Learn techniques of IV placement and airway management.
5. Review pharmacology of vasoactive drugs and their physiologic effects.

The Department of Medicine

Katherine G. Nickerson, M.D.

Course Director

Office: PH8E-105
Phone: Ext. 5-9388
Email: kgn1@columbia.edu

The Medicine clerkship is a ten-week rotation, five weeks of which are spent at The Presbyterian Hospital and a second five weeks at one of the following: Harlem Hospital, Roosevelt Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital, Stamford Hospital, or the Allen Pavilion. This course emphasizes the integration and application of pathophysiology to the diagnosis and management of patients, as well as the skills of history-taking, physical examination and case presentation. The course is an apprenticeship that focuses on the bedside care of patients. The student will work closely with house staff members and ward attendings - making daily rounds, admitting new patients and caring for them with the team. The student will also participate in Preceptor group - small case-based seminar sessions which meet regularly throughout each of the five week segments of the ten week clerkship.

The Department of Neurological Surgery

Guy McKhann, M.D.

Course Director

Office: NI 4-428
Phone: Ext. 5-0052
Office: gm317@columbia.edu

The week of Neurological Surgery will acquaint the student with neurosurgical problems and their management, including CNS and spinal cord trauma, spinal herniated disc and degenerative conditions, subarachnoid hemorrhage, extracranial carotid vascular disease, brain tumors and hydrocephalus. Students will observe and/or assist in neurosurgical operations, meet with their attending preceptor for discussion of various neurosurgical topics, evaluate outpatients, and attend educational conferences.

The Department of Neurology

Blair Ford, M.D.

Course Director

Office: NI 308
Phone: ext. 5-5548
Email: bford@neuro.columbia.edu

Students participate directly in the care of patients on the Neurology Services and ambulatory clinics at Columbia University Medical Center and Harlem Hospital Center. Additional learning experiences include general and subspecialty conferences, daily preceptor rounds, weekly didactic sessions that emphasize problem-solving and cover the neurological examination, neurological emergencies, and the interpreting of neuroimaging studies. Students undergoe an observed neurological history and examination, and feedback is provided at the mid-point of the rotation. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the many educational resources of the Department of Neurology. Evaluation is based on all aspects of clinical performance, oral presentations, patient write-ups, a neurology portfolio assignment, and the NBME clerkship shelf exam.

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Rini Ratan, M.D.

Course Director

Office: PH16-62
Phone: Ext. 5-1217
Email: rr2172@columbia.edu

The Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship is a five-week rotation which is spent either at the Presbyterian Hospital, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center or Stamford Hospital (Stamford, CT). The main objective is to familiarize the student with the signs and symptoms of normal and abnormal reproductive function and to teach the basic examinations in Obstetrics and Gynecology. The course will emphasize and reinforce skills of taking an appropriate history, performing a physical and pelvic examination, formulating a differential diagnosis, treatment plan and management of patients.

The student may gain exposure to the medical-surgical aspects in the subspecialty areas of gynecologic oncology, reproductive endocrinology and perinatology.

The primary didactic vehicles will consist of formal lectures with assigned readings. Small group preceptor sessions along with conferences will supplement the core.

The Department of Ophthalmology

Martin L. Leib, M.D.

Course Director

Office: EI 230
Phone: Ext. 5-2303
Email: mll3@columbia.edu

The program consists of eleven hours of clinically-oriented lectures, twenty-five hours of closely supervised instruction in clinical history-taking and ophthalmic examination, two hours in laser photocoagulation, two hours in ultrasonography and twelve hours in the operating theatre. In small groups, students spend three hours in the private offices of attendings. The clinical experience is amplified by student attendance in a variety of subspecialty clinics including laser, retina, neuro-ophthalmology, uveitis, orbit and plastics, glaucoma and pediatric ophthalmology. Students are encouraged to attend seminars and Grand Rounds and an on-call schedule has been devised to enhance clinical exposure. A multiple-choice examination is given based upon formal lectures and assigned readings.

The Department of Orthopedic Surgery

Joshua E. Hyman, M.D.

Course Director

Office: PH 11‑1124
Phone: Ext. 5-5475
Email: jh736@columbia.edu

Medical students spend a didactic two-week rotation on Orthopedic Surgery. The primary teacher is an attending, with some lectures and demonstrations by the resident staff. Students attend subspecialty conferences, rounds and patient clinics, and participate in some surgical procedures.

At the end of the rotation, the student should be able to:

• Take an orthopedic history and perform an orthopedic physical examination.
• Understand the pathophysiology of the more common orthopedic disorders.
• Identify the basic diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to common musculoskeletal disorders (both medical and surgical).
• Leave with a sense of how an orthopedic service is administered and its relationship to other medical disciplines.

The Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery

Joseph Haddad, Jr., M.D.

Course Director

Office: BHN 5-501
Phone: Ext. 5-8933
Email: jh56@columbia.edu

Students spend one week on the service being introduced to the various aspects of the specialty, including Otology/Neurotology, Head and Neck Surgery, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Pediatric Otolaryngology. Emphasis is placed on developing a basic fund of knowledge in the specialty and in acquiring the skills of the otolaryngologic examination. This is achieved through active participation in patient care in the ENT Clinic and offices, the Speech and Hearing Department and in the operating room.

The Department of Pediatrics

Andrew Mutnick, M.D.

Course Director

Office: BHN 517
Phone: Ext. 5-7397
Email: am312@columbia.edu

Third year medical students spend five weeks on Pediatrics either at Children’s Hospital of New York or Harlem Hospital. The rotation is divided between inpatient and outpatient experiences. The emphasis is on learning to care for children and families in a variety of patient care settings and developing the clinical skills, diagnostic reasoning, and basic management strategies core to the practice of pediatrics. Attendings and house officers emphasize normal child development as well as the role illness plays in the lives of children and families. Patient care experience is supplemented with daily rounds, conferences, lectures, and case-based seminars.

Primary Care

Pablo Joo, M.D.

Course Director

Office: P&S 3-401 and VC 12-217
Phone: Ext. 5-9595 (Ms. Stephanie Maher)
Email: paj13@columbia.edu

Deborah Jones, M.D.

Course Director

Office: P&S 3-401 and VC-2

Phone:  Ext. 5-9595 (Ms. Stephanie Maher)

Email:  dpj6@columbia.edu

This five week clinical clerkship provides an exciting opportunity for students to have clinical experiences in ambulatory practices in rural, suburban and urban settings. Students will learn the core skills and knowledge essential to the practice of Primary Care: diagnosis and treatment of common outpatient complaints, management of chronic medical conditions and strategies for health promotion and disease prevention. Students will be precepted by faculty in Family Medicine, General Medicine, and/or General Pediatrics. The teaching sites for the five-week clerkship are: Bassett HealthCare (Cooperstown, NY), Stamford Family Medicine Residency Program (Stamford, CT), Stamford Hospital General Medicine Residency Program(Stamford, CT), Harlem Hospital Center General Medicine Residency Program (Harlem, NY), Bronx Veteran’s Administration (Bronx, NY), St. Luke’s Hospital General Medicine Residency Program (NY, NY), Roosevelt - Ryan Center General Medicine Residency Program (NY, NY), NYP Columbia University Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program (Washington Heights, NY), Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency Program (Concord, NH), or the Indian Health Service sites - Whiteriver Family Medicine IHS (Whiteriver, AZ); Zuni Family Medicine IHS (Zuni, NM); Shiprock Internal Medicine/Pediatrics IHS (Shiprock, NM); or Shiprock Family Medicine IHS (Shiprock NM).

The Department of Psychiatry

Janis Cutler, M.D.

Course Director

Office: PI 1st Floor, 1303-D
Phone: 543-5552, 543-5556
Email: cutlerj@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu

Students spend their five-week Psychiatry clerkship assigned to one of the following clinical sites: Presbyterian Hospital/Psychiatric Institute, Creedmoor Psychiatric Center/Presbyterian Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital, Roosevelt Hospital, or Harlem Hospital. All students evaluate and follow patients on inpatient and outpatient services, child psychiatry and the psychiatric emergency room, participating in their patients' care with close attending and resident supervision. The acquisition of clinical skills is emphasized: conducting an interview to obtain a psychiatric history and mental status examination; organizing, recording and presenting the findings to generate a differential diagnosis; and formulating a treatment plan in accordance with the biopsychosocial model. Seminars complement the clinical experience by enhancing the knowledge base necessary to master these skills.

The Department Of Surgery

Warren D. Widmann, M.D.

Course Director

Office: Milstein 7GS-313
Phone: Ext. 5-3038
Email: wdw2@columbia.edu

The clerkship in General Surgery is offered at four clinical sites:  New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia Campus where students are assigned to teams at the Milstein Hospital Building, CHONY, or the Allen Pavilion and off-site at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut, Bassett in Cooperstown, NY, and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, NYC. Doris Leddy is the clerkship coordinator, (212) 305-9596, dl642@columbia.edu.  At all sites students work closely with faculty preceptors as well as with the resident physician teams.  The course is designed to provide clinical experience to improve your skills in overall patient care as you apply your knowledge of the basic sciences and expand your knowledge base through exposure to the wide variety of patients and procedures that falls into the realm of General Surgery.  You will become a valued member of the team as you assume responsibility for the overall care of your patients pre-operatively and post-operatively and assist in the operating room. There are team specific conferences, out-patient visits, emergency room consultations, and night call (one night in four) to supplement your inpatient "floor" learning.  You will improve your clinical skills as you will get appropriate feedback throughout the rotation and you will demonstrate your increased knowledge on the written "shelf exam" and your clinical skills on the oral examination at the completion of the clerkship.  We hope that your rotation proves to be an enriching experience that at least matches our enthusiasm as we greet each new group of students.

The Department of Urology

James McKiernan, M.D.

Course Director

Office: 11-1101 Atchley Pavilion
Phone: 212-305-5526
Email: jmm23@columbia.edu

The Urology Clerkship is a two week experience. Common urologic problems will be discussed during lectures and at bedside clinical teaching seminars, in clinics and in the operating rooms.

Emphasis will be placed on recognizing, diagnosing, and teaching common diseases of the genito-urinary system. All students will be assigned patients for individual evaluation. Each student will be required to write a short paper during the rotation.

Clinical Practice III

Michael J. Devlin, M.D.

Course Director

Office: 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 116
Phone: (212) 543-5748
Email: mjd5@columbia.edu

The goal of Clinical Practice III is to foster the continuing development of the skill and practice of reflection on patient-physician relationships and professionalism in the context of the third year clinical rotations. Discussion sessions co-led by clinical practice preceptor and clerkship faculty focus on the transition to clinical ckerkships (transition week), emerging concept of the doctor-patient relationship (Medicine clerkship), professional values and the “culture” of the operating room (Anesthesiology clerkship), sociocultural assessment (Primary Care clerkship), working with pain and suffering (Obstetrics & Gynecology clerkship), the appreciation of multiple perspectives in situations of conflict (Pediatrics clerkship), intense emotional responses in clinical work (Psychiatry clerkship), balancing hope and realism in serious illness (Neurology clerkship), contrasting physician and surgeon professional roles (Urology clerkship), and further sessions are under development. Students are asked to prepare brief written reflections prior to the shared group reflection.

Clinical Assessment Program/The Morchand Center

All third-year students participate in a day-long Clinical Assessment Program designed to evaluate their mastery of the skills of the clinical transaction. Students are excused from their clerkships for the one day during the Spring on which they are assigned to attend the Clinical Assessment (held at a facility at the Mount Sinai Medical School). Using standardized patient methods, each student performs a focused medical evaluation on seven patients. The patients present with symptoms of medical, psychiatric, pediatric, surgical, gynecological, or neurological diseases, and they are seen in such settings as the Emergency Room, the CCU, a private doctor’s office, or a walk-in clinic. In fact, to achieve standardization, all patients are actors who have been coached to portray reliably the clinical aspects of each case.

After the interaction, the student completes questions about the differential diagnosis, tests to be ordered, and given the results of the tests - test interpretation and clinical management. Meanwhile, the patient fills out information about the student’s history-taking skill, performance of the physical examination, and communication skills. The entire proceedings are videotaped for review later by the student and a faculty member. Students generate scores throughout the day on the individual cases as well as the individual skills assessed.

Since the installment of the NBME Clinical Skills Exam in the required Board exams, this exercise has taken on more importance for P&S students. This is the only practice students will receive in taking formal standardized patient examinations, and it should be regarded as valuable preparation for the Step 2 CS exam.

The results of this assessment are not used as a pass/fail exam (as they are in other schools), nor are the results part of the student academic record in the Dean’s Office or the Dean’s Letter or transcript. Rather, P&S believes that the chief dividend is obtained when the student reviews his or her videotape to learn what kind of doctor he or she is becoming, and to receive guided feedback about ways in which to improve clinical performance. Accordingly, once the entire class has completed the assessment, each student must sign up for an hour-long one-on-one review of his or her videotape with a P&S faculty member who has been trained to give feedback on this clinical performance.

Participation in the Clinical Assessment Program is a requirement for promotion to the fourth year, and all Clerkship Directors release students from their clerkship duties on their assigned day. Students who fail to attend the Clinical Assessment on their scheduled day will be required to attend at a later date and to pay the not inconsiderable cost of the assessment themselves.

The Morchand Center

Academic Year 2008/2009: Regulations/Guidelines

1. Participation is required by all 3rd year P&S students for graduation. (No grade)
2. You may NOT switch your assigned day with other students (even if you are doing Surgery).
3. If you miss your assigned day, you must be rescheduled AND pay Columbia University the cost of your open space which is approximately $400.
4. Upon completion, you will be required to review your video/performance with an assigned faculty member to obtain appropriate feedback.